7 Things No One Told You About Becoming Successful

By definition, success is the accomplishment of an aim or purpose. It’s certainly not defined by how much money you have, the ‘stuff’ you’ve accumulated, or the certifications you’ve obtained. As it turns out, it’s not until you appreciate what you have, that you’ll realize that having more will not make your life better.

We buy things to make us happy and for a while, we feel happy. And then we adapt.

What happens then?

In a recent article written by psychologist Benjamin Hardy, he lists the things no one told you about success. I loved them so much, here are the top 7 I had to share with you:

You have enough already.

Every aspect of your life, affects every aspect of your life. We are holistic beings. When you change one aspect of your life, realize that you are simultaneously changing the whole. You can’t change a part without fundamentally changing everything.

You can’t have it all. Every decision you make has an opportunity cost. When you choose one thing, you aren’t choosing several others. Whenever you hear someone say that you can have it all, know that they are lying. They are almost certainly trying to sell you on something. In the end, we need to choose what matters most to us, and own that. If we attempt to be everything, we’ll end up being nothing; that internal conflict is hell.

Never forget where you came from. When you achieve any level of success, it’s easy to believe you are the only one responsible for it. It’s easy to forget all the sacrifices other people have made to get you where you are. It’s easy to see yourself above others. If you burn all your bridges, you’ll have no human connection left. In that isolation, you’ll lose your identity, becoming a person you never intended to be.

Humility, gratitude, and recognition of your blessings keeps your success in proper perspective. You couldn’t do what you are doing without the help of countless other people.

If you need permission to do something, you probably shouldn’t do it. So many people chase whatever has worked for other people. They never truly decide what they want to do, and end up jumping from one thing to the next — trying to strike quick gold. Then they stop digging just a few feet from the gold. No one will ever give you permission to live your dreams.

You earn as much as you want to. We tend to say we want to be successful. And honestly, if we really wanted to, we would be.

Earning money is moral. Earning money is a completely moral pursuit when it is done with honesty and integrity. If you don’t feel moral about the work you’re doing, then you should probably stop. When you believe in the value you provide so much that you are doing people a disservice by not offering them your services, you’re on track to creating colossal value. Our work should be a reflection of us. It’s always the other person’schoice whether they perceive the value in what we’re offering or not.

In my years as an entrepreneur, I’ve learned that instead of seeking praise, your work will improve if you seek criticism. You know when you will know your work has merit? When someone cares enough to give you unsolicited criticism. There will always be haters, but when you really start showing up, the haters will be intimidated by you. And instead of being a reflection of what they could do, become a reflection of what they are not doing.

I’ve always believed that from a scarcity perspective, when you think that helping other people hurts you because you no longer have the advantage you see the world as a giant cake. Every piece of the cake you have is cake I don’t have. Meaning that in order for you to win, I must lose.

Instead, from a perspective of abundance, there is not only one cake. There is actually an infinite number of cakes and if you want more, you can make more.

Carve time out every day to progress and improve (INVEST IN YOURSELF) — otherwise, your time will get lost in your progressively crowded life.

Elevate your thinking. See yourself at the top. You’ll be disillusioned by the perception of those you once saw as immortal. They are just people. So are you. Let’s roll!